Terms Used The In The Stock Photography Business

So you are a small business person or web designer and you want to purchase some stock photography for your website. Great. Photography is a wonderful way to improve the emotional impact of your site. But there are a few terms unique to the stock photography business that you should know.

Royalty Free - you'll see this term often. What it means is that you pay a one time fee for an image and you can use it for as many times as you want for as long as you wish. It is a great way to get inexpensive photos. Now if you are concerned that your competitor would or could use the same image as you, photographers and agencies can continue to sell the image after you purchase it, then you need:

Rights Managed - this one is next term you'll see. This means that you pay a fee for the image based on how, where, how long, and how many people will see the image. This one will cost you a lot more in most cases. This is worth it if you do not want your competitor using the same image for the same purpose. Usually the stock agency or photographer also agree not to sell the image to others in your field for the time that you are using the image. So you can see why this option protects your use of the image but you'll also pay much more for this protection. Remember too that, at some point, you decided to discontinue using/paying for the image the agency or photographer can then sell the image to someone else, even someone in your field.

Flat Rate - this term isn't quite at common but it is similar to royalty free. Usually this means that you pay a one time fee for an image, but it can only be used for one purpose by one person. Pricing will be higher than royalty free but less than rights managed.

Copyright - even with royalty free you are still only purchasing the right to use an image not the image itself. All images are property of the agency or photographer who owns them. How do you know who owns them, there is usually a © symbol with date and name of the person or agency who owns the image. No matter what you paid for the image you are NOT the owner of the image. This means you cannot remove the copyright information, alter the photo, use it as part of a logo that you own a copyright, or resale the image as your own.

These terms will get you started but remember there can be differences in these definitions from agency to agency and photographer to photographer. Every agency and photographer selling stock images should have a legal or license page to explain these terms and any others that they use, if they don't you may want to move onto another site. Be aware, read all the information, and know what you are buying.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

---

Infrared Photography and the Car Thief ? Successful Digital Imaging

Infrared photography is sometimes placed on the outside edge of... Read More

Digital Image Files ? Megapixels, Megabytes, or DPI?

When I promised readers that I was going to do... Read More

Crooked Horizons in Your Photos? ? Here is a Five Minute Digital Fix

Remember the good old photography days?Film camera in hand, you... Read More

The Photography Portfolio: Building Your Reputation

If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or... Read More

Creating Printable Photo Greeting Cards

STAY CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.Making your own digital photo... Read More

Taking Panoramic Landscapes - The Easy Solution

I love panoramas. There's something very appealing about their shape.... Read More

Digital Camera Basics

Digital Camera Basics? The VocabularyShopping for a digital camera can... Read More

Make Your Digital Camera Batteries Last Longer

One technology that hasn't kept up with the rapid pace... Read More

Portrait Photography: Tips and Methods

Portrait is defined as, "A likeness of a person, especially... Read More

Photography Courses Online

There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More

Memories That Get Lost

How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In... Read More

Digital Camera Metering

Looking at the most intricate details of the digital camera... Read More

Help! My Old Colour Photo has Turned Pink ? 5 Minute Digital Fix

Almost all of us will have seen this particular photographic... Read More

Make More of Your Photos

We all want to make the most of our wedding... Read More

Underwater Digital Cameras

Underwater photography's is primarily focused towards entertaining and informing the... Read More

Black and White is Beautiful

Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie... Read More

Kodak Digital Cameras - The Giant Comes To Digital

George Eastman, founder of Kodak is world renowned today. Digital... Read More

Birthday Party Photo Tips ? How to Make Yours Truly Stand Out

How many of the birthday party pictures you've seen are... Read More

How to take Great Photos of Your Pet

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable,... Read More

Where Do Great Ideas Come From?

At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More

Tips for Better Vacation Photos

Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More

Start Your Own Photography Business from Home

Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills... Read More

Photo Equipment Lists

You arrive at your photo shoot excited about the images... Read More

Sony Digital Cameras - Always On The Innovation Frontier

Sony was the first company to introduce digital cameras into... Read More

Buying the Best Digital Camera for Your Needs

Choosing a digital camera can be a daunting task with... Read More

Modeling Portfolio Webites

In the age of home phones and 8x10's we all... Read More

Top of the Line Digital Cameras

If you think that digital cameras are for snapshots only,... Read More

Is Film Better than Digital for Weddings?

As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked... Read More

Digital Camera Disc Formats

As it is a fact that digital cameras are comprised... Read More

Take Spectacular Nighttime Photos with Your Digital Camera - Part II

Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you... Read More

Digital Camera Memory - An Introduction

The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More

How to Create a Family History Video Memoir with Photos and Interviews of Your Loved Ones

Here are examples of two basic videos you can create... Read More

Digital Camera Batteries

Every device needs a driving force to operate, just as... Read More